Imperfect
by authorwithnoname
Summary: She laid out her life perfectly, but everything went terribly wrong. Her 'parents' weren't supposed to be dead, she wasn't supposed to be adopted, her siblings weren't supposed to hate her, and she wasn't supposed to fall in love with the 'wrong' person!
1. Crumbling Down

**CHAPTER ONE**

Everything was so wrong. She was supposed to have a normal life – well, as normal as it could get anyway – a life that she had planned. She was supposed to have high grades, become head girl, graduate at the top of her class, get a good job after school, date, and get married by the age of twenty-two. She works hard everyday for her friends, her teachers, and most especially her parents to be proud of her. She was an only child and she is (even though she would never admit it) a bit spoiled. Saying that her parents were well-off was an understatement. Her parents could stop working, and they could still buy all the things they need and more. So she thought that the only way she could repay her parents was by doing her best in school. She knew that her parents knew little, if not, nothing of the wizarding world. All they knew was that she was a witch, a smart one at that, and that they were proud of her.

Her life was supposed to be perfect. It was not supposed to be like this.

'Merlin, I should stop thinking about it. I've cried more times today than I have the past years,' Hermione thought as she wiped the tears that kept on falling from her already swollen eyes.

It was a horrid cycle; she would think about stopping her tears, which brought her back to the reason why she was crying, and then the tears would fall down on her cheeks, as if they had a mind of their own.

Flashback:

'I'm finally going home', Hermione thought as she was nearing their destination.

"I really missed you guys," Hermione said with a smile. Her butlers and chaperones, which were asked to fetch her from King's Cross, all smiled in gratitude.

"It wasn't the same at the mansion without you, Missus," Julio, her personal butler (even though she hits him in the head when he calls himself her butler) said. He had been with her for as long as she can remember. She actually treated him as her big brother and her best friend. She can tell him things that she could not even tell her father. Like that boy who accidentally kissed her when she was in first grade – her father would throw a fit if he found out. That was back when she didn't know that wizards and witches existed.

Julio's and Hermione's ages weren't really that far apart. He told Hermione that he was only five when Hermione came to Mr. and Mrs. Granger's life. His mother had been one of the maids at the Granger mansion. Even while a little kid, he was already asked to take care of Hermione. Hermione wasn't really allowed to 'mingle' with other kids her age from the town. Her father said that girls like her shouldn't associate herself with lower people. She never really understood at that time. Her only 'friends' were other rich snobs, who don't really play with her; they like ridiculing her and her home better. Julio had been Hermione's only true friend. He was always with her to protect her.

When Julio's mother died, Hermione and Julio cried together, and mourned for Julio's loss. That event made them closer to each other. Julio devoted his life to Hermione, and Hermione wanted to make sure that Julio is always happy.

Julio also trusts Hermione his deepest secrets. Hermione had been the only one to know that he was a squib.

Julio told her, back when she was six, that he had received a letter from a place called Hogwarts, and that he was a wizard. He told her that he would be gone for ten months, and be back with her every summer. Of course, the fact that he was a wizard didn't actually register in her brain at that time – that happened when she was already eleven and had received her own letter. The only thing that registered in her brain was that Julio would be gone for a long time. She cried for days, and refused to give up. She felt alone. Julio was her only friend, and they were taking him away!

The day that Julio was to leave, Hermione refused to let go of him.

Her father knelt down to look at her face and told her that everything would be alright. He told her that He and her mother would be there for her, and then he hugged her tight. She was shocked, and she couldn't move. Julio took that as his time to leave. He left the house with a smile on his face, knowing that Hermione would be alright.

After that day, her and her parents became very close. They went out on picnics together, watched movies together, and even made Sundays their family time. Hermione soon found out that Julio talked to her father. He told her father that she was feeling lonely, and needed someone to be there for her.

Hermione took that as an eternal debt to Julio. She told herself that she would always be there for him, as he was always there for her.

Once while she was walking with her parents along the beach, she saw a small store, which sold small trinkets. She badgered her parents on buying her a beautiful pair of necklaces. Its pendants were the halved parts of a star, with intricate designs on each half. When held against each other, the two halves form the beautiful star.

Her parents, who couldn't resist her pout, gave in and bought her the pair of necklaces.

Hermione was thrilled when summer came because she knew that her best friend would be back with her.

She greeted him with a hug and a large smile, but stopped when she saw a rueful smile on her best friend's face. He then told her that he was a squib. He was a wizard, but he could never perform magic. Hermione, even though she didn't understand at that time, just hugged him, and told him that he would be alright, and that she would take care of him. He laughed at that, and she smiled. She handed him one of the necklaces she asked her parents to buy, and told him to never take it of… ever. He never did – and even though the string of the necklace was really short for him now, he kept his promise and never took it off, just like her.

"We're almost there, Hermione," Julio said, bringing her back from her thoughts. She smiled wide, and Julio knew that it was because he called her 'Hermione' without Hermione saying so.

When the limousine halted to a stop, Hermione rushed out the door, not even waiting for someone to open the door for her.

She ran towards her parents' office, and hastily hugged them tight, not even noticing the other people staring at her.

"Hermione, calm down," her mother said, and that's when she noticed that her parents were holding a meeting. More or less twenty people were staring at her, some of them smiling, while others were trying hard to conceal their laughter.

"Sorry," Hermione muttered, while fighting the blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

"We miss you too, my little peapod," Her dad said with a smile.

"Dad!" Hermione cried in total embarrassment, her cheeks red now.

That day was filled with laughter, and Hermione was exhausted when nighttime came.

"Hermione!" he faintly heard her dad whisper urgently, "wake up, Hermione."

Hermione sat up groggily, and tried to get the sleep away from her eyes through rubbing them.

"Yes, dad?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, you need to hide. The others are already hiding in the cellar. You need to get up to the attic now and hide," her dad whispered hastily.

"Why can't I just go to the cellar like the others?" Hermione asked.

"It's closer. Now GO!" Her dad whispered in the same urgent voice as before, while pushing her towards the door.

"Why? What's going on! Dad?" Hermione panicked.

"Hermione, there are people downstairs, people that do not want to do good to our family. You need to be safe, so GO NOW!" her dad whispered, and resumed pushing her towards the concealed door of the attic.

"But dad, what about you and mum? Aren't you coming?" Hermione asked, fear creeping up her spine.

"We'll be fine, now GO!" her dad cried loudly, startling her.

After about two minutes, she was enveloped by the darkness of the attic.

She switched on the small light, and sat down on a small, moth-eaten couch.

It was then that she was able to think clearly.

She was of age already! She just turned seventeen last April, which is why she is allowed to use her wand already.

'Damn! Fine time to blank out!' she thought.

She then made up her mind. She was going out to get her wand, and she was going to defend her parents.

She ran towards the door on the floor and tried turning the small knob. It wouldn't budge. She tried turning it the other way. It still wouldn't budge. She pounded her fists against the door until they hurt, but it was no use. Her dad though locking her in would keep her safe.

"Daddy locked me in," she whispered to herself, making the fact more real.

Mr. Granger ran down to the cellar, and searched for Julio.

"Julio, Hermione is in the attic. When all this pandemonium is over, I want you to open the attic and make sure Hermione is safe," Mr. Granger whispered urgently, thrusting the small set of keys in Julio's hand.

"Yes sir," Julio replied, stuffing the keys into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Promise me Julio that she will be safe," Mr. Granger whispered, "I want to make sure."

"Yes sir, I promise," Julio said, "I will guard her with my life.

"Thank you, Julio. I trust you," Mr. Granger said, and then he hastily walked out the door.

As he was walking up the stairs towards the kitchen, he took in a deep breath and let out a small sigh.

'This is for my family. I will defend my family the best that I can.'

Hermione glanced at her watch. It was already three in the morning, but she just couldn't sleep. She decided to walk around and look at things.

She smiled when she saw her old dollhouse. She remembered forcing people to play house with her – Julio, her daddy, her mum.

She then saw something very unusual – well unusual for muggles.

She saw a large bassinet. It was pink, and had cushions that seemed softer than goose-down feather. But what caught her attention the most was the designs on the side of the bassinet. It was covered with stars, but not just ordinary stars – they were _moving_ and shooting stars. Did I mention _moving_? There were also witches and wizards on broomsticks moving around, sometimes moving so close to the fabric that you can see every line on their faces.

'What is going on? What is this doing in a muggle house?' Hermione thought to herself, 'Oh no! What if this thing has dark magic in it? I better be prepared'

So Hermione took a tattered bat that she saw laying around, and used it as a shield, for whatever the mysterious bassinet could do. She approached the bassinet with caution, but only found a small envelope with an unfamiliar oval seal, two snakes, one with ruby eyes and one with gold, intertwined together to form a 'Z' with thorned roses surrounding it. The seal was broken already, which means that the letter was already read. There was also a wooden box, which was just slightly smaller than a shoebox. It also had the same emblem she found in front of the letter. The emblem was embossed on the front of the box, and was made up of what she could only think of as gold and silver. She didn't want to touch the box. It might contain dark magic, and her wand was downstairs in her room.

After a while, she got bored. So she decided to read the letter. She took the letter from the bassinet, careful not to touch the mysterious box. She walked over to the small light in the attic, and sat directly underneath it. She then began reading.

_I am sorry for leaving my daughter here without your permission. My daughter is in danger. We are running away from a madman. He wants to harm my daughter, and I fear that letting others take care of her is the only way I can save her._

_I have been going around this town, hoping to find a couple suitable to take care of my little angel. I have heard from the townspeople of a couple that lives on a mansion located on top of a hill. I also know that you have wanted to have a child for years now, and since I am in need of a couple to take care of my daughter and love her unconditionally, I am entrusting her to you. I hope that you will treat her the way you would treat your own child._

_My daughter is a witch, but please do not be alarmed. She is a normal human child, so please treat her as one. The only thing that differs her from other children is that she has magical abilities._

_My daughter is not a freak of nature, so please respect her as I know she will respect you. _

_I have placed a small box in my baby's bassinet. If you feel that it is time for her to get to know us, please give her the box. Only she can open it._

_My daughter's name is Hermione. You can give her your last name if you want but please tell her about us when you feel like it is the right time. She was born last April 27, and she is only six months old. I hope I have done the right thing by entrusting you my daughter._

_Mrs. Marissa Zabini_

'That can't be me, can it?' Hermione wondered, unconsciously slightly crumpling the old paper of the letter.

She fell asleep on the moth-eaten couch with that thought on her head.

"Hermione," a voice called, "Hermione you have to wake up."

As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw Julio's dark brown eyes staring at her. It was then that all the things that happened that night came back to her.

"Julio!" Hermione cried while hastily clutching his arm, "What happened last night? My dad locked me in here and I couldn't get out! I could've gotten my wand and helped him, but the door was locked. Are my parents okay?"

Julio remained silent. His eyes would refuse to meet hers and she suddenly felt dread force its way into her heart.

"Julio, what happened," Hermione asked in a small voice, as if fearing the answer that she was going to get.

"Hermione, your parents fought hard to drive off the evil men. Those men wanted to rob your family and would do everything to succeed. Your parents wanted to keep you safe," Julio said, still not meeting her eyes.

One of Hermione's hands clutched Julio's and she used her other hand to force him to look at her. She was shocked to see pain and sadness in those usually warm and happy eyes.

"Julio, what are you not telling me?" Hermione asked. She felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes, though she didn't know why.

"Hermione, your parents are dead."

End Flashback

And so here she was with Julio. It was the day after the burial, and Hermione was still in hysterics. They were sitting on the sofa in the Granger's large living room. Julio tried to stop her tears, but they just kept on falling.

The life that she so carefully laid out was torn before her eyes. Her parents, the people who she was doing this all for, were dead. She knew she had to move on. She told herself that many times, but saying and doing were two different things. It was easy to tell herself to move on, but it was hard to actually do it.

"Hermione, it's going to be alright. You will always have me," Julio said while soothing her by rubbing her back, "I'm going to be your big brother. I will protect you, and always make you happy."

"Thanks Julio, I know that I could always count on you," Hermione replied while forcing a small smile on her lips.

"That's better. Now, if I remember right, you want to open that box you told me about?" Julio said.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot about that," Hermione said.

She stood up to walk towards her room.

Her parents willed everything to her. She was filthy rich now, but somehow it seemed like everything that she has means nothing anymore.

She glanced up and realized that even with all those thoughts in her head, she managed to get to her room. She sat down and stared at the blanket covering the box, which she laid on her bed. She wrapped it in the blanket of the bassinet when she took it out, afraid that something might happen to her if she touches it directly.

"So open it," Julio urged. He had been filled with curiosity ever since Hermione told him about the mysterious box.

"Okay," Hermione agreed as she reached out to take off the blanket and open the box.

'Why do I get the feeling that the content of this box is going to shape my future?' Hermione thought to herself.

It was then that she reached her hand out to touch the emblem on the box.


	2. In A Flash

**CHAPTER TWO**

As soon as she touched her forefinger to the emblem, it emitted a bright light, which made her tumble backwards and caused Hermione and Julio temporary blindness.

"What was that?" Julio asked, while blinking a couple of times to get his eyes to focus.

"I have no idea," Hermione replied, and Julio saw that she was also trying to get her eyes to focus. They could still see small spots before their eyes, but they could see; that's what's important.

Hermione stood up to check what happened to the box, and was surprised when she saw that the box was already opened.

It was Sunday, and it was a family tradition for the Zabinis to set aside any work or plans that they have, and spend the whole day together. So here they were in their family room. Mr. and Mrs. Zabini were both on the couch, reading. Blaise, their eldest son, was sitting at the window seat, staring out the window. Elena, one of the younger siblings, was currently sitting on Blaise's lap, napping. Andre, Elena's twin brother, was on the other side of the room, 'making' potions with his "Potions for Starters" kit.

Mr. and Mrs. Zabini both stood up suddenly, startling their three children. They stared at each other, and hurried out towards Ricardo Zabini's office.

"What's going on, Blaise?" Andre asked, but Blaise just shrugged. Andre was used to Blaise's treatment of him, so he was undaunted; he resumed making his 'sleeping potion'.

They ran towards Ricardo's office when they felt magic enter their systems. That could only mean one thing: their daughter has finally opened the box.

Marissa Zabini looked happily at her husband.

"My baby is finally coming home," she said tearfully, looking at a baby Hermione's miniature figurine, to see that it was glowing a bright green.

They had an artist make small figurines of their children. The figurines were charmed to grow as the children grew up, and would glow red when the person is in trouble. The other three figurines grew as much as a miniature figurine could grow, as Blaise, Elena, and Andre grew up. Only Hermione's figurine had been the only one to stay inactive, until now.

The figurine was slowly morphing into Hermione's current figure, and the Zabini parents were delighted.

"Toppy!" Mrs. Granger cried, "open Hermione's room, and make sure that it looks heavenly."

"Yes, missus," Toppy, on of the Zabini's numerous house elves said, bowing so low that his pointy nose touched the carpet.

"Stop blubbering, and get to work, Toppy," Marissa Zabini fussed, "I need my daughter to feel welcome and loved."

"Yes, missus," Toppy nooded, his bat-like ears flapping, apparated to Hermione's room, and started working.

She was still muttering to herself as she went out of the room, probably to take a look at Toppy's work.

"My daughter," Ricardo Zabini whispered, tracing the contours of Hermione's figurine.

Hermione gasped as she saw the content of the box, and Julio gasped as he saw her.

"Hermione, what happened to you?" Julio asked, while reaching out to touch her.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked back.

Julio took a lock of Hermione's hair in his palm, and Hermione was shocked to see that it was black. She touched her hair, not really believing it, and found that her hair had also become smooth to touch.

She rushed towards her large mirror to take a good look at herself. She felt as if she was looking at someone else's reflection. The girl that was staring at her looked like her, but it wasn't her. Their height was the same, the body shape and the face shape was the same. Her lips, her nose, and even her cheekbones were the same, but by Merlin! That definitely wasn't Hermione Granger.

The girl that stared at her had long and sleek ebony hair. Her eyes were violet with grey specks. She has darker eyelashes, which curled upward. Everything that defined her as Hermione Granger was erased.

Her bushy brown hair was gone.

Her chocolate brown eyes were gone.

She felt as if _Hermione Granger_ herself was gone.

It all happened in a flash. Literally.

"Hermione?" Julio asked, breaking Hermione out of her reverie.

"Yes?" Hermione asked, her eyes still transfixed on the stranger in her mirror.

"What's going on?" Julio asked, still confused.

"Honestly? I have no idea," Hermione started as she turned around.

Julio sighed, and flopped on her bed.

"But I'm guessing that _that_," Hermione said, pointing towards the box on her bed, "can give us some answers."

Hermione walked over to her bed, and sat beside the box.

She cautiously reached over to get the content of the box.

It was the most beautiful necklace she has ever seen. Its pendant was carved to be shaped like the emblem that was etched on the box, and on the letter's seal. The seal was made out of a blood diamond, and it had a large, flat ruby as its base. The necklace itself also has intricate designs. Hermione wasn't the artistic type, but the designs fascinated her.

As soon as she touched the pendant, it literally jumped, and attached itself on her neck. Hermione jumped as the cool material of the necklace touched her skin. As she got over the shock, she lifted her hand to touch the pendant of the necklace, and unintentionally touched a small knob (the largest rose on the emblem, which was on top of the 'Z'-formed snakes) on it. She heard the snakes move and hiss.

Then, a bright light came out of nowhere, and she shut her eyes to keep the light from blinding her. She felt the familiar pull at the navel when apparating, and she panicked. She grabbed a hold of anything she could get her hands on. The first thing the got a hold of was the box which held the necklace a while ago, but it was light, and wasn't of much help. She felt herself beginning to apparate. To where, she doesn't even know.

The last thing she heard as she disappeared was Julio's desperate cry of "Hermione!"


	3. Cold Shoulder

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these (well, except for my made-up characters), because if I did, I would have been filthy rich by now, with my books made into movies. This disclaimer is valid for all the other chapters.

**CHAPTER THREE**

Hermione shot up, and almost instantly regretted doing so; it created a large ruckus in her head. She clutched it tight, and squinted a bit, as the sunlight from the large window in front of her bed was hurting her eyes.

Wait a minute.

'_Sunlight? _I know I made sure that my bed is facing away from the window.

_Large window? _My window isn't _that_ large.

Where am I?'

"Where am I?" Hermione muttered, more to herself, voicing her thoughts. She was still clutching her head tight, and she swore she could almost hear the vein in her head pounding.

She crawled out of her bed, rather shakily, and studied the room she was in. it was well-furnished, but was a little too pink for her taste. It was frilly and lacy, and looked like a little girl's bedroom. Perhaps the only thing she liked was the bed. Well, she just liked the fact that it was a four-poster king-sized bed, but that was it. The comforter and the canopy were also pink and frilly.

"Miss Hermione, Missus is waiting for you in her study," a voice said from behind her, startling her slightly.

"Oh, hey there! May I know who you are?" Hermione asked politely. Well, as politely as a person with a splitting headache could get.

"Toppy is sorry for being rude to young mistress. Toppy's name is Toppy, and Toppy is young mistress' personal house elf," the small elf explained, his head bobbing up and down with almost every word.

'Personal house elf! Something is very wrong in this scenario.'

"Well, can you tell me where Julio is?" Hermione asked, kneeling down to Toppy's level.

"Toppy is not knowing any people named Julio," Toppy said, shaking his head.

"Well then, where am I?" Hermione asked.

"Young mistress, you're at the Zabini Manor," the house elf said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'Zabini Manor?' Hermione thought to herself, 'oh hell no.'

"Shit!" Julio exclaimed.

He let himself flop down on the bed, still muttering to himself. He shouted out, rather loudly, just to take off some of the frustration that had built up in his chest.

It had been almost three hours since Hermione vanished. He still couldn't believe it. But as he thought about it, the more he realized that there was nothing that he could do.

He was a squib, and could do nothing the least bit magical. All he knew was the existence of the magical world.

What use could that do?

He couldn't call the muggle police. That would just be stupid.

He could go to the ministry of magic to get help, but he knew nothing about the magic that took Hermione away.

He doesn't even know where to start looking for her. She could be in Antarctica for all he knew.

'Damn it, what am I supposed to do?' Julio thought, and then let out a frustrated sigh. He then noticed that almost all of the people working at the mansion was at Hermione's door, looking at him oddly.

"Where iz Senorita Hermione?" Chef Presto (really, that's his name) asked, "dinner iz served."

"Yeah, yeah," the others agreed.

"I know that this may be a shock," Julio started, while fumbling with Hermione's comforter.

"Yez?" Chef Presto pressed on, indicating that Julio should continue.

"Hermione is missing. She vanished. Just like that," Julio explained, snapping his fingers to emphasize.

"What?" Chef Presto bellowed, causing the others to panic, "we have to find her. All of you, search for her. NOW!"

They all went out in a hurry, to look for their beloved Senorita, but it all ended in vain.

'If Master Ricardo was alive, he would kill me,' Julio thought to himself, 'I broke my promise of protecting their only daughter.'

Hermione followed Toppy towards a very large and very intricately designed office. The office had a fireplace, with three squishy chairs in front of it. It had couches on the other side, with a coffee table in between. There was a large desk in the middle, where a man and a woman were speaking with each other. The room was decorated with flowers, and had that womanly touch about it; it was obviously owned by a woman.

But what caught her attention the most was the large bookshelf, which covered one part of the wall. It was filled to the brim with hundreds of books, wizarding and muggle, whose topics ranged from aquatic pests to zoology. Her eyes dilated with excitement, and a smile slowly graced her lips as she saw it.

_Books_.

She was slowly starting to walk towards the bookshelf, when she heard a voice calling her.

Hermione.

_Hermione._

"Hermione," the voice called her again, so she turned around hastily, giving her a huge head rush.

She almost fell over, but two strong arms caught her. The man that caught her was tall, with a strong built. He had dark hair, like she has now, and he also has the same violet eyes that she has now. He had a dazzling smile, and Hermione could not help getting jealous. The woman had long, beautiful, and silky ebony hair, which looked like it actually _flowed_ whenever she walked. She has dark green eyes, which were almost black. She was tall, with a slim frame. She didn't look an age over thirty.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" the man holding her asked.

"Well, um, if I'm not too rude, may I ask who you two are?" Hermione asked, standing up by herself, indicating that she was fine.

"Oh my, we haven't even introduced ourselves, " the woman started, "Toppy, would you please give us some privacy, and could you call the children down here please?"

Toppy nodded, and disapparated with a snap of his fingers.

The woman sat down on one of the couches, along with her husband, and she gestured for Hermione to sit with them.

"Well Hermione, to start off, we are your biological parents (Hermione gasped at that). I am Marissa Zabini, and that is my husband, Ricardo Zabini," Marissa started, pointing to her husband.

Ricardo Zabini continued, "We needed to have you adopted, because at almost the same time that we found out that Marissa was pregnant, the Dark Lord impregnated a woman. We did not know who she was. All we knew was that the Dark Lord killed her after she conceived their son. The Dark Lord wanted to betroth his son to a powerful baby girl from a respectable, pureblooded family. His first choice was you of course, as the Zabinis were very powerful, but we love you, and we couldn't let him betroth you to someone so dark. So we had to hide you. We told the Dark Lord that you died at birth, but we were keeping you in a secret room in this manor. We knew we had to hide you somewhere else; a place that he would never suspect. Marissa thought that the best place to hide you would be in the muggle world."

"After six months, Mrs. Parkinson conceived a baby girl," Marissa cut in.

"Pansy," Hermione whispered.

"Yes. Five days after her birth, the Dark Lord performed the dark spell that will bind Pansy forever to his son. We were thrilled after that. That meant that you were safe already, and we wanted to find you."

"But you couldn't because the Dark Lord would find out that you kept me from him."

"Yes, that may be, but we could've made up an excuse. We could've blamed St. Mungo's for keeping our daughter from us. No, that isn't the reason why."

"Those blasted muggles we entrusted you with took you away. When Marissa led me towards the mansion on the hill, we found out that the muggles aren't there. They moved to a new place and they took you with them," Ricardo interrupted.

"But our mansion _is_ on a small hill. It is located at the end of a small town. The hill is near a small forest," Hermione argued.

Marissa let out an angry cry. She slammed her teacup down on the coffee table, spilling a bit of the tea. It was not surprising that the teacup didn't break. They were a magical family after all.

"Those muggles fooled us!" Marissa said angrily, "we could've gotten her back years ago, damn it!"

"Calm down dear," Ricardo said softly, soothing his wife, "Hermione, I'm sorry that we didn't get to you sooner."

"That's okay," Hermione said with a smile, "they treated me kindly. They gave me everything I wanted, and gave me a happy childhood."

"Well, yes, that's good," Marissa said, "but still-"

Just then, the door opened, and three children stepped in. One of them, the elder male, looked oddly familiar. He was carrying a little girl in his arms, and a little boy trailed behind them. The little boy looked timid, and gave her a small smile, which she returned. The little boy's smile widened, and he ran towards her, attaching himself to her, and sitting on her lap. Hermione was shocked, but she just smiled, and held him there.

"Andre!," Marissa shrieked, "where are your manners?"

"Sorry, mama," Andre said quietly, moving to sit beside Hermione.

"No, it's okay," Hermione said, keeping Andre on her lap. The oddly familiar boy sat on one of the other couches, with the little girl on his lap.

"Hermione, these are your siblings. The little boy on your lap is Andre, and the little girl is his twin sister, Elena. And this," Ricardo said, pointing towards the elder boy, "is Blaise, your twin brother."

"Blaise? So that's why you look familiar!" Hermione said with a smile, "we go to school together! Hi!"

Hermione extended out her hand to him, but he just shrugged and said, "Can we go now? Elena's getting bored."

Elena gave Hermione a cold look, and buried her head in the crook of Blaise's shoulder, as if Hermione was something disgusting that she did not want to see.

Hermione's smile faded as her brother and her little sister exited the room.

"Hermione, excuse your brother and sister," Marissa said apologetically, "I'll go talk to them."

"No, that's okay," Hermione said, and noticed that Andre was still on her lap, looking up at her and smiling.

"Hello, Hermione. I'm Andre," Andre said with a toothy grin.

"Hello, Andre. Could you show me around?" Hermione asked.

"Okay," Andre said excitedly, jumped off Hermione's lap, and pulled her by the hand towards the door.

"I guess I'll see you later…" Hermione paused, as if considering something, "…_mama, papa_."

Marissa looked like she was about to cry as Hermione and Andre walked out the door.

"Well, at least two of them get along," Ricardo said optimistically, and Marissa could only agree.

A/N: I just wanted to answer darkygirl's question. In my summary, I said that her _siblings_, well two of them anyway, will not really like her. I didn't say that her parents wouldn't like her. So there. I'm sorry if I got you all confused and stuff.


	4. Home?

_A/N: I actually had this chapter made weeks ago, but I was reluctant to post it. I mean, if only five people are reading my story, does that mean that it sucks? Well, I would like to give my thanks to those five people who reviewed, but it's sort of disheartening to know that only five people are interested enough in what you are writing to review. I need some motivation, and I don't really get it from you guys (except for those five people). Please review because knowing that people like my story and actually want to read it makes my mind work and my fingers type. I know that the setting of this story is a super cliché one, but I'm trying to make it as non-cliché as I can. I'm trying my best so please work with me._

_authorwithnoname_

**CHAPTER FOUR**

To say that the Zabini Manor was large was an understatement; it was humongous! Andre had just finished showing her the first floor, and Hermione felt like her legs were about to break. How Andre, a five year-old boy, managed to go around the manor everyday, and how he got to memorize all the rooms was beyond her.

'He lives here,' Hermione thought, smacking her hand on her forehead, 'it's just a matter of getting used to.'

Hermione looked up at the large grandfather clock, which was situated beside the staircase, and saw that it was nearly six thirty.

"Andre," Hermione began, causing Andre, who was currently jumping up and down in front of her, to calm down, "Thank you for showing me around today, but right now, I'm really tired. Can you show me to my room please?"

"Okay, big sister Hermione," Andre said happily, grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the third floor.

When they arrived at a double-door room, Hermione turned to Andre, and thanked him. Andre hugged her tightly, which she returned, before bouncing down the hall, probably to go to his room. Hermione entered the room with a smile at his retreating back.

She gasped when she entered her room. It was absolutely different. The pink and lacey things were gone, and Hermione was thankful for that. Her room was now well-furnished. It was colored green and silver, and was very classy.

'Slytherin to the core,' Hermione thought as she looked at her surroundings. She had a large walk-through closet, although baby clothes littered the place. Hermione guessed that this room was made when she was still a baby, and was never changed. She had a living area, a large fireplace, and her four-poster (now green and silver) bed was placed on a slightly raised platform. She noticed that the floor was made of marble, while some parts of her room was carpeted. She had a large window a few feet to the right of her bed. She walked towards it and realized that it was actually not a window. It was a large, sliding glass door, which opens towards her own balcony, where a small tea table and chairs were placed. She could see a lake (Lake Zabini) as she looked down from the balcony. The Zabinis were really classy people, and they made sure that every little detail in their home, may it be inside the manor or outside, was made to perfection. She walked back to her room and flopped on her bed.

'My life is really complicated,' Hermione thought to herself as her mind drifted towards the rollercoaster of events that were happening in her life, like how she woke up in an unfamiliar room, when what felt like seconds ago she was just beside Julio, talking about the mysterious box that changed her life. Wait. Julio. Julio!

"Oh shit! I forgot about Julio!" Hermione said to herself, rushing out of her room.

She was about halfway through the hall, when she realized that she did not know where her parents' room or where their offices were. She felt like banging her head on the wall, and so she did just that. Just then, a door near her opened. She did not mind the person until the person stood in front of her with a frown on his face. It was Blaise. Hermione stopped banging her head, and looked up at him, trying to make herself somehow look presentable.

"I, um, I'm looking for our – uh – parents," Hermione muttered with a slight blush tingeing her cheeks.

"And you think banging your head on the wall, irritating some people, will help you find them?" Blaise asked haughtily.

"Sorry," Hermione whispered, walking away.

Blaise just shrugged, and went back to his room, a bit guilty at what he just did, but those thoughts were pushed away in a split second.

'Who does she think she is, just barging in here,' Blaise thought angrily, 'we were fine without her before, what difference is it now? For all we know, she is just here to gain access to the Zabini vault. Maybe she is here to take our parents' attention away from us. She may have Andre as an ally, but Elena and I will never let her win.'

He let himself fall face-down on his bed.

'I'm going to make her regret even coming back here. She may be my sister by blood, but she will never be a sister to me by heart.'

"Great. My brother thinks I'm an idiot," Hermione said to herself as she walked mindlessly.

"Hermione?" a voice behind her asked, and Hermione jumped a little.

"Yes?" Hermione asked timidly as she turned around. It was her father.

"I'm sorry for scaring you," Ricardo said with a smile, "why are you still walking around? Aren't you going to get changed for dinner?"

"Oh, right," Hermione said, "but I wanted to talk to you."

Her father nodded, silently asking her to continue.

"I was wondering if I could go back to my old home," Hermione explained, fiddling with the hem of her shirt, "I just wanted Julio to know that I am alright. He was my guardian, and he must be really scared for me right now, wondering where I am."

"Sure, but you have to make it quick," her father explained, "dinner starts in two hours, okay?"

"Yes dad, thank you!" Hermione exclaimed, attaching herself to her father.

"You're welcome," Ricardo said, "you can use the fireplace in your room. It is connected to the floo network. You old home is connected to the floo network, is it not?"

"Yes, thank you again, dad!" Hermione exclaimed while running towards the direction of her room.

Back at the Granger Mansion…

Julio was pacing around in his office, still thinking of ways to get Hermione back, or to even know where she was. He knew that he should be calm and collected to find a way to her, unlike most of the people at the mansion, who started working sluggishly ever since Hermione disappeared; most of them had red and puffy eyes, an indication that they cried themselves to sleep. Julio knew that they were depressed because Hermione was the only person who gives life to the mansion.

'Damn it, I should have just grabbed her before she disappeared,' Julio scolded himself.

He was pacing silently for hours, only stopping to look outside, and check if Hermione was back, so he was startled when he heard a cry of-

"Hermione!" a voice screamed, "Senorita Hermione's back!"

Julio wasted no time, and ran towards the direction of the voice; it led him towards Hermione's room. He opened the door and felt tears cloud his eyes as he saw Hermione. He ran up to her and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, as if not wanting to let her go again.

"Julio!" Hermione exclaimed, "I missed you too."

Julio let go of Hermione, and let the tears fall. Hermione was then smothered with hugs and kisses from all the people working in the mansion. This lasted for about twenty minutes, since a lot of people worked in their mansion.

"Guys, I missed all of you, but I only have an hour and a half left here, and I need to talk to Julio," Hermione said, moving closer to Julio, "Will that be okay with you guys? When I come back, I promise to make it up to you."

"Of course Senorita," one of them answered, "we're just glad that you're back."

Then they left, leaving Julio and Hermione alone in her room.

"Julio-" Hermione started.

"Where have you been? We were so worried. Are you okay? Were you all alone? How did you get back?" Julio asked hastily.

"Julio, relax," Hermione said, gesturing for them to sit down on her bed, "I'm fine."

"Where were you?" Julio asked, moving to sit down beside Hermione, "you just vanished, and it freaked me out."

"I don't know how I got there, but when I woke up, I was at the Zabini Manor," Hermione started.

"Why there?" Julio asked, "did those – those… _purebloods_ want to kidnap you or something?" Julio asked, aware of the fact that the Zabinis are very powerful, and are somehow tied to the dark side.

"Julio, don't think of them like that. _I'm_ a Zabini, remember?" said Hermione.

"I guess I forgot," Julio said with a small, barely distinguishable frown.

"The reason they let the Grangers have me was because they wanted to keep me safe. They love me and they are not _fans_ of the dark side," Hermione scolded.

Hermione then started telling her story, starting from her birth, to her siblings, to Voldemort's son, to Blaise and Elena disliking her.

"That is so fucked up, Hermione," Julio stated, as Hermione ended her story.

"Julio! Don't be so brash," Hermione scolded with a small smile, and Julio laughed.

"So does this mean that you'll be staying with them?" Julio asked, avoiding her eyes.

"Julio, don't be like that. It's not like I'm leaving you guys. I'll try to visit every now and then," Hermione said softly, slowly moving Julio's head to face hers, "Julio, come on. I may have lost my old family, but I have found a new one. I may not know them yet that much, but they're my family. I want to get to know them, and besides… while I'm gone you can find a girl of your own."

Hermione laughed at Julio's blush.

"Well, at least now I know where you are," Julio commented.

Hermione glanced at the wall clock in her room, gasped and stood up hurriedly.

"Why what's wrong?" Julio panicked, looking around.

"It's nothing to worry about Julio," Hermione laughed, walking towards the fireplace, "It's just that it's already eight sixteen, and I still need to get ready for dinner."

"Why would you have to get ready for _dinner_?" Julio asked, confused, "I mean, it's just dinner."

"Dinner at the Zabini Manor means that you have to get dressed up," Hermione laughed.

"Okay then, I guess I have to let you go," Julio said, walking towards her to give her a hug goodbye.

Julio hugged Hermione tightly, as if not wanting to let her go.

"Julio, I really have to go," Hermione said, detaching herself from Julio, surprised when she saw tears form in his eyes, since she had only seen Julio cry once; that was when his mother died, and that happened years ago.

"Keep yourself safe always, Hermione," Julio said, and Hermione nodded.

Hermione then grabbed some floo powder, and with one last look at Julio, dropped the powder on the fireplace, and said, "Zabini Manor, Hermione's bedroom."


	5. Alliances

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I only own the stuff that I made up from my imagination

A/N: I thought that a person could force themselves to write, but I guess I thought wrong. That's why I took so long to make another chapter. Anyway, what matters is that I'd finally finished writing the fifth chapter. I hope you guys review! 

**CHAPTER FIVE: ALLIANCES**

Hermione arrived at the Zabini Manor with only a few minutes to spare. She hurriedly grabbed the clothes on her bed, which the house elves prepared for her, and put them on. It was a simple but elegant blue cocktail dress. Thin straps held it up, and it went just above her knee. She grabbed the matching blue robe, along with the strappy shoes, and shrugged them on. She let her hair hang loose, but put in a few pins to keep her ebony hair from falling on her face. She applied some mascara and a bit of lip gloss, and she was done. She barely had time to admire her handiwork, when she heard a knock on her door. The door then opened a little bit, and then she heard the squeakiest voice that she had ever heard.

"Miss Hermione, dinner will be starting shortly, and Master asked me to fetch you," the squeaky voice asked, and in came an unfamiliar house-elf, which was noticeably female; she wore a rugged white dress, which had a few stains, and she had lopsided bows beneath her ears. How those ribbons got there, Hermione had no idea – it was probably magic.

"Hello there!" Hermione said, crouching down so that she could meet the elf's eyes, "May I know who you are?"

"I is Fiddlee, Miss Hermione, yes I is," Fiddlee exclaimed while nodding vigorously, her bat-like ears flapping wildly.

"Fiddlee… what an… unusual name," Hermione said, when she suddenly remembered something.

"Fiddlee, are you happy here? Are they treating you right? Do you wish to be freed?" Hermione said, still sticking to her previous views about elfish rights.

"All of the house elves in this manor are freed, Hermione," a voice from the doorway said, and Hermione's head snapped in that direction to see who that was. It was her dad.

"Master Ricardo," Fiddlee said before bowing down in respect.

"Fiddlee, I can take over from here. You can return to your post now," her dad said lightly.

"Yes Master," the elf replied. She then left with a small _pop!_, but not before bowing yet again, leaving Hermione alone with her dad.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long, which was why I went up here to check. The house elves here are all freed, just as I said before, but all of them chose to stay here to work. Did that help quench your curiosity?" Ricardo said.

"Yes, dad. Sorry," Hermione replied, a bit of pink staining her cheeks.

"That's alright. Now, let's get downstairs for dinner. Marissa, Blaise, the twins and our guests are waiting for us," Ricardo said, leading her out of her room, and into the dining area.

"What's taking them so long?" Blaise asked, irritated.

"Be patient, dear," Marissa scolded, although she too was wondering where her daughter and her husband was.

Just then, the double doors of their dining area opened, revealing Hermione and Ricardo.

The Malfoys. The Malfoys were the guests that her father mentioned, and she had to sit all throughout dinner with their faces in front of her.

Hermione could not help glaring a bit at them, although they kept their cool. She then realized that they did not really know who she was. She was a Zabini now, but when she caught Draco Malfoy's glare, she guessed that they already knew.

'They are best friends after all,' she told herself.

Hermione was aware of the pairs of eyes watching her as she ate, but she stood strong, and acted as though she was unaware of this. Dinner flew by slowly, and Hermione thought that it was never going to end.

She thought that the worst part was over but as she heard her mum say, "Hermione, go out with your brother and Draco so that you may get to know each other better. Who knows? You might even become the best of friends!" she knew that the worst part was just beginning.

'Oh, I know him well, mother,' she thought, and she seriously wanted to say this out loud, but since she was new here, she settled for a nod. She then followed her brother and his best friend to the patio, but kept a safe distance away from them. She didn't want them to think that she was nosy now, did she?

Blaise and Draco immediately walked towards the railing of the balcony, and stayed silent for a moment. Hermione opted to stay at the door. She wanted to gather all the courage that she has to talk to them, but in the end, she just couldn't, so she settled for going back to her room – after being excused of course – so that she can mull things over. These past few days seemed like a dream. She still needed some time to grasp it all, which is why some alone time might help; she could also think about some possible reasons that her twin brother (and her sister) hated her so much.

'I need a break from all this,' Hermione thought as her feet involuntarily took her to her room, 'maybe a bath could help… yeah… a bath sounds nice.'

"Why do you hate her so much?" Draco asked after a long moment of silence.

"Was it that obvious?" Blaise replied with a smirk, "And since when did you care, anyway?"

"I don't," replied Draco.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Hey, Drake, could you do something for me?" Blaise asked after a while, breaking the silence.

"What?" Draco asked, his interest piqued.

Blaise looked around for a bit, making sure that no one was eavesdropping on them, before whispering, "I need you to befriend my sister."

Draco looked scandalized.

"Wh-what? You mean Elena? I-I don't have to befriend her anymore… you know that…" Draco said, and this was the first time that Blaise heard him stutter after a very long time.

"You know what I mean, Draco. I need to know what's going on inside my twin sister's head," Blaise said, with a malicious glint in his eyes.

"Why me? Why not ask Andre to do it? I mean, Granger – I mean, Zabini – and I… well, to simply put it… we hate each other. She wouldn't talk to me if I was the last person on earth," Draco said, forcing the triumphant smile that threatened to show on his face.

"It'll never work," he added as an afterthought.

"So think of it as a challenge," Blaise said, already knowing that he had won; Draco could never resist a challenge.

"No," Draco answered simply.

"Come on, Drake. You know you want to. My sister is a challenge, and I know that you can never resist a challenge," Blaise said knowingly.

"Fuck, I shouldn't have told him that!" Draco whispered, scolding himself. Blaise just laughed.

"And besides, you can charm almost everyone, especially the women, if you put your mind to it. What makes _Hermione_ any different?" Blaise added.

Draco thought about it for a while before answering, "Fine, I'll do it, but you owe me big time."

"Fair enough. How about we start tomorrow?" Blaise asked.

"Tomorrow it is."

"Why does he hate me so much? I mean, we're twins for crying out loud! We're supposed to have this sort of connection with each other, aren't we? And then there's Elena. I don't understand why she's so distant to me. I don't know what to do," Hermione said to herself, "Argh! And I cannot believe that I am stuck here, with no one to talk to, but myself."

After her bath, Hermione got up, dried herself with a towel, and then put on her bathrobe (the one with the name _'Hermione'_ fancily embroidered in its back). She brushed her teeth, and then went into her room so that she could pull some clothes on and go to bed. She did just that, and not too long after, she fell asleep.

It was dark, and Hermione was running. Running away. From what? She didn't know. All she knew that something was after her, and that she had to get away.

So here she was. Running blindly in some unknown forest.

Se knew that she had to go faster than this if she wanted to escape, but it felt as if all of her energy left her body, and that it was only her adrenalin that kept her going. Her legs felt like jelly and she knew that they would be sore in the morning.

Well, if she survived that long.

Her legs were giving out, and she cursed the days that she spent lounging around in her bed, when she could have spent those days strengthening her legs.

She stopped for a while, and tried to catch her breath. She couldn't help it. She had been running for god knows how long. She needed a break.

'Goddamnit! Keep running, idiot,' Hermione cursed in her head. She started running again, slower this time, as she had lost her momentum already.

When she felt a cold hand on her shoulder, she knew it was over. The prey was now caught and, like all preys, she struggled to gain her freedom. The strong cold hand forced her to turn around and face her captor. Her eyes widened as she saw who it was, and for once, she was at a loss for words.

"Hello… _Hermione_. You cannot hide from me now. I'm coming to get you," said the voice which belonged to the most feared wizard of all. Voldemort.

She felt fear creeping up her spine. Sure she faced him before, but at that time, there was a safe distance between them, and she was usually with Harry and Ron. But this time… this time was different. She was face to face with the wizard who killed millions. She was so scared that she couldn't even scream for help.

"Hermione." Voldemort repeated. Damn! Even her name sounded vile to her now.

"_Hermione_." There it goes again. She wanted it to stop. She wanted to cover her ears and curl up in a ball, but she found she couldn't. In fact, she couldn't even move. The Dark Lord must have used some sort of magic to bind her.

"HERMIONE." She was sweating now. She felt so helpless. So weak. She didn't know what to do.

"_HERMIONE_."

"HERMIONE!"

'Stop it! Stop!' she cried in her head, for it seemed that she had also lost her ability to speak, 'Help! Help me! Please… Please…'

"Big sister!" a new voice called, and she quickly sat up. As she did, lightning lit up the whole room. A low rumble of thunder followed that, and this caused her to come to her senses.

"Big sister, you were dreaming," Andre added.

It was all just a dream. 'Yes, that's right. Just a dream…'

"Big sister, I'm sorry for waking you up. I just wanted to sleep here beside you. I'm scared of the lightning and thunder," Andre explained as he went under Hermione's comforter, and snuggled next to her, "is it okay if I sleep beside you?"

Hermione smiled. For a little kid, Andre sure has no problem with speech.

"Of course you can. You already are beside me, are you not?" Hermione said with a laugh. Andre just gave him a toothy smile.

'That dream I had. It felt so real. I don't know what—'

"Big sister, can we sleep now?" Andre whined, pulling her from her thoughts. Hermione wanted to laugh; so he and Blaise _did_ have something in common.

"Alright, alright. Goodnight, Andre," Hermione said softly. She kissed his forehead affectionately, and then lowered her head back on her pillow.

"Goodnight, Hermione," Andre replied. He snuggled closer to her, and they both fell asleep minutes after.

"Blaise, I cannot believe that I am doing this," Draco whispered.

"Don't tell me you're already chickening out?" Blaise whispered back with a knowing smirk.

"Hell no!" Draco whispered back with as much conviction as a whispering person can give.

"Then do it already!" Blaise whispered back.

"Fine, fine," Draco whispered as he started opening the door that was in front of him. There was no turning back now.


End file.
